2018 Kasnyik rodinné vinárstvo Orange Južnoslovenská,

The Kasnyik family is one of the founding members of the “Autentista Slovakia” association that has now grown to include 5 producers including Slobodné Vinárstvo, Magula, Mátyás, and Strekov 1075. The association has a detailed Charta (autentista.sk/charta) and strict guidelines on farming, cellar practices, and how to ultimately restore and preserve the culture of along the Danube. The area is very much a crossroads in Central Europe and the epicenter of in Slovakia. Strekov was first mentioned in 1075, but has more recently been influenced by the Kingdom of , the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Czechoslovakia, and attempted Germanization by the Nazi’s. It became independent after the Velvet Revolution in 1989. As with so much of this portfolio, we’ve found that wine regions along and within contentious borders are almost always bound to result in something special. Brothers Gábor and Tamás along with Gábor’s wife Virág are emblematic of this sentiment. Coupled with the aforementioned Autentista Slovakia, the Kasnyik family is involved with, connected to, and invested in the success of Slovakian wine as a whole. Founded in 2004, real change came in 2008 when they began firmly transitioning to organic farming (certified in 2014) with a focus on native grapes fermented and aged exclusively in . The COOP era had left many of the best largely forgotten, the rest farmed industrially, and native grapes and winemaking traditions were ripe for resuscitation. Keeping all of this in mind, their overarching goal is to bring back the unique wildness that is the connective genius loci of their region.

VINEYARDS Strekov is one of the sunniest sub in Južnoslovenská (Southern Slovakia). They farm 6 hectares in largely calcareous and loamy-clay soil between 200-250 meters above sea level. The main focus is on grapes like Ryzlink Vlašský (Olaszrizling), Veltlínske Zelené (Grüner Veltliner), , Devín, Ryzlink Rýnský (Rhine Riesling), Frankovka Modrá (Kékfrankos), Tramín Červený (Gewürztraminer), Dunaj, Alibernet, , , and . They do not use herbicides, synthetic insecticides, acaricides or any systemic fungicides. Other things prohibited under their self-imposed charta include the use of synthetic fertilizers, a maximum yield of 40 hl per hectare and only harvesting by hand. New plantings must be at minimum 5000 plants per hectare and dedicated to Central European varieties.

WINE MAKING Gábor credits some early inspiration after tasting with Imre Kálo in Szomolya, Hungary. Imre is one of the characters of the Hungarian wine scene (we visited back in 2016), who has since the late 1980s been making what we now call natural . He also garnered some inspiration from Oszkár Maurer in Serbia in terms of low intervention and skin . That said, Gábor’s wines are nothing like either of these, but the focus on spontaneous fermentation, skin maceration and patience in both the and cellar are certainly shared. Adhering to the Autentista Charta, nothing is added apart from SO2 at bottling (if at all), and filtration, centrifuges, temperature control, reverse osmosis, and so on are all also forbidden. All wines are fermented and aged in barrel (225L, 300L and 500L Hungarian) and aged between 7-12 months. Total production is about 30,000 bottles per year.

NOTES & PAIRINGS 100% Rhine Riesling, this spent slightly less time on the skins than the Rizling at just over 2 weeks in open vats. It was then barreled down on the lees for 10 months in Hungarian oak and then bottled unfiltered with a small addition of SO2 (~30ppm). It carries a familiar Riesling signature, but the aromatics and texture (just over 3g/l RS) and overall balance is something unique and delicious. Only 400 bottles produced in total. This is a rare treat from north of the Danube.

ANALYTICS & PRONUNCIATION PRODUCER: Kasnyik rodinné vinárstvo : Južnoslovenská : 2018 GRAPE COMPOSITION: 100% Riesling CLIMATE: Continental (hot summers & cold winters) SOILS: Calcareous and loamy-clay MACERATION & AGING: Fermented on the skins in open vats and aged on the lees in oak barrels for 10 months. ALCOHOL: 12.9% RESIDUAL SUGAR: 3.2 g/l ACIDITY: 5.99 g/l